Battle of Bikes-OnnBikes vs Royal Brothers!

A decade ago, bike rental was unknown thing in most of
India, except select states like Goa. Self drive cars were available in some
cities but not bikes. But then, this landscape is fast changing. From what I
know, WickedRide was the first major bike rental firm to commence operation in
India, but they only had super expensive bikes and in early days, didn’t have
regulatory support (black plate with yellow support). After that, over years,
several agencies have come up, offering two wheelers on rent at affordable
rates. Royal Brothers is a major player, with coverage across several South
Indian cities and 3 international cities as well (Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket).
I’ve rented from them in Mangaluru, Phuket and one more is planned this
weekend. OnnBikes is another major player in this fast growing bike rental
market. We did a trip with them to Wayanad last weekend and I got to interact
with its key staff, to get some insights into the bike rental business. If you
need some transport to move around a city for a few days, renting a bike is a
lot cheaper, convenient and highly flexible option than other options such as
using cabs, auto or public transportation. Bikes need less space- easy to park
or maneuver in traffic infested cities, consume less fuel hence cheaper to run.
For biking enthusiasts, rentals allow them to ride super expensive bikes,
(which they can’t afford to buy or not worth buying) for a few k rupees a day.

With that background, main objective of this post is to
compare two key players in Bengaluru’s bike rental business- Royal Brothers and
ONN Bikes.

#

Factor

Royal Brothers

ONN Bikes

Remarks

1

Station Opening hours

9.30 AM to 8.30 PM

9 AM to 9 PM

may vary by city

2

Tax

Extra (18% over display amount)

Included in displayed rental

3

Pickup & Drop

Not available

Not available

4

One way rental

Not available

Not available

5

Extra Helmet

100 Rs + 18% tax

Option not available to specify, can call customer care n book jackets etc

1 day for superbikes, 10 hours for others (you can book for 30 min also but will cost full day rent)

4 hours

20

App Support

Available

Available

ONN Bikes have some of the cheapest rentals, inclusive of taxes and more favorable terms. However RB offers more choice, more high end bikes. I am given to understand ONN Bikes is adding more bikes and mopeds in the days to come, giving more choices to their customers and tougher competition to RB.

RB is self funded start up without VC funding, hence their rentals are slightly higher.

Cancellation policy is more favorable with ONN Bikes- Up to 6 hours before booking start you pay only Rs 100. With RB, if cancelled last minute (up to 24 hours before booking start), you get nothing.

Speed limit is another factor renters should be aware of. It is a pain to constantly keep an eye on the Speedo. My earlier suggestion that rental companies should work with dealer to electronically limit the top speed of bikes so that customers don't have to worry about exceeding top speed n having to pay a penalty is not implemented by any agency. Onn bike claims to charge a penalty only after 2 warnings, which is better than outright penalty charged by other agencies.

One of the biggest deterrent for me is having to wait till 9/10 AM for stations to open. If I arrive in BLR by 6 AM, I have to manage 4 hours on my own before collecting bikes. Car rental stations usually operate from 6 AM to mid night. Also the agencies should consider few counters near Railway stations and airports, so that outstation passengers can get their bikes as soon as they arrive.
Wheelstreet is another player- haven't explored them much.

Disclaimer: All information as available on Operator's website at the time of composing the post. Bike options, rental amount and other terms and subject to change over time. Please cross check with the agencies for latest information.

Thank you so much for your genuine feedback and constant support.There are few corrections:-Our minimum billing cycle is 10Hr except super bikes-We are a self funded start up. Hence, our tariff is bit higher than other external funded startups-I met Akash today, Core team member of Onn bikes with whom you interacted the other day.We recollected you and your beautiful blogs.-We are planning to come up with outlets near Airport, Railway stations and Bus stations. You will see lot of growth in near future.